Join us for an evening of melodious music with the musicians of the Mir community of Rajasthan at Freedom Park.

The Mirs are a music community based in the Pugal region of Rajasthan. Hereditary singers of the Sufiyana Kalam, the Mirs have been known for their passionate and intimate renderings of the compositions of the Sufi mystics such as Baba Sheikh Farid, Sain Bulleh Shah, Hazrat Shah Hussain, Hazrat Sultan Bahu, Ali Haider and Khwaja Ghulam Farid. They have been musicians of the common people, serving as mediums of devotion and harbingers of peace, hope and love through the ecstatic performances of the bhajans and vanis of Meera, Kabir, Gorakhnath, Baba Ramdev and Achalram. Their songs are mostly in Siraiki, a dialect of West Punjab which has strong affinity with Sindhi and Punjabi. In addition to their singing, the Mirs are deft players of the been (a kind of bagpipe) and algoza (a double barrel wind instrument). Most of their compositions stress on love as the basis of the relationship with God, nature and other living things.

About the Baba Farid Mir Project
The Baba Farid Mir Project brings together the families of Mir musicians and their patrons scattered across the Bikaner region, in an attempt to reinvigorate their musical tradition. From October 2015 to December 2016, a core team of senior as well as young artists, along with patrons, undertook a yatra across the far flung Mir strongholds in the Bikaner region, towards facilitating musical interchanges, community interactions; and mapping of musical opportunities within cultural festivals and events.

This performance is part of The Baba Farid Mir Project, supported under the Arts Practice Programme of India Foundation for the Arts. The Baba Farid Mir Project is funded by Infosys Foundation.

Please do note, that entry to the event is free. However, for this event, we do require an RSVP to joyce@indiaifa.org